The McCluer North Stars will head out on the road to face off against the Belleville West Maroons at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Last Thursday, it was a hard-fought contest, but McCluer North had to settle for a 52-49 defeat against Christian Brothers. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for McCluer North in their matchups with Christian Brothers: they've now lost three in a row.
Meanwhile, Belleville West earned a 50-43 win over Granite City on Friday. Given Belleville West's advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 33rd, while Granite City is ranked 379th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Myles Liddell was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 16 points and 10 rebounds. Another player making a difference was Jordan Lacey, who scored 10 points along with 6 assists.
Their wins bumped McCluer North to 1-1 and Christian Brothers to 3-0.
McCluer North didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Belleville West in their previous meeting back in December of 2022, but they still walked away with a 58-53 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for McCluer North since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
